The workshop was excellent for focusing on teaching the practical "nuts and bolts" of trip leading through first hand experience. Participants lead all hikes in rotation. As a result of spending the bulk of time on the mountainside as we tremendously improved abilities in all aspects of trip-leading expertise.

The program was based out of the Gay Outdoors Adventure Center in Waterville Valley, New Hampshire. Mike Boisvert led the activities and his co-leader was Jon Normand. Both of them are really neat guys who are extremely knowledgeable about the wilderness from having more than 25 years of outdoor experience. The two hardy souls who had joined together for this workshop were John-R & myself. I am extremely glad that I attended this workshop, even though it meant a 7½-hour drive from New Jersey. On both days part of the hikes were at the outer-boundary of my pre-workshop comfort zone. But I’m thrilled that these guys helped me achieve a significantly higher level of accomplishment

Arriving At The White Mountains & GO I arrived at the GO Adventure Center on Friday evening and by then the full moon was high in the sky and enveloping the White Mountains in a magical silvery-white glow. Added to this was the sound of the Mad River rising from the valley below. What a wonderful welcome that was for my first visit to GO.

Day –1 Saturday: Hiking The Blazeless Cone Mountain And Bushwhacking Over Large Trailless Sections

We started the day enjoying mugs of coffee and looking at beautiful fall foliage on hills surrounding the GO Center. The workshop started with a detailed, but focused & brief discussion about what to wear, what to carry, and how to pack it. Soon after that, we all suited-up in our nylon or Gore-Tex gear; a quick weather check by Mike, and we were off in one truck to the trailhead.

Not only is Cone mountain a blazeless hike but the trailhead is not marked either. Talk about picking a challenging hike for teaching outdoor leadership skills! Normally, the difficulty level of hiking up Cone Mountain is a little more than moderate. However, as we climbed, we realized that it had become an advanced level bushwhack trip because three days previously a Northeaster storm had passed through the area and it had uprooted trees all over the place and turned the forest upside down. In other parts of the forest the overgrowth had completely obliterated the trail. We had set out in relatively cool overcast weather that changed to some partially sunny patches. Finally it rained incessantly. Later that evening at the GO center other hikers told us that not too far away from there had been sleet, snow, & even some icy patches! We got to fully experience why the White Mountains are known for having the world’s most rapidly changing weather, and the importance of packing rain/winter gear even when setting out to hike on a bright sunny day.

By mid-morning we stopped for a snack and group photo beside a beautiful lake. This was a great place to discuss issues related to managing different types of group dynamics, for example a slow hiker on a strenuous trip or a fast hiker on an easy trip. This lead into an interesting discussion around issues related to individual and group safety.

The next part of the hike was a lot more demanding physically and the weather turned worse as well. Losing one's way would've been an easy. Soon we were all soaked and woolen hats, mittens and foul-weather gear were the need of the hour.

Going was slow, as the granite boulders, some butter smooth some moss covered, which comprised the Trail were now wet and rather slippery. There was little talk and a long internal journey of steadily looking at the feet of the person in front of us, and concentrating on where to put one's next step.

Sighting the summit cairn was a truly exhilarating feeling as we had really worked for it. The view of the surrounding valleys and distant mountains was spectacular. Everyone who's climbed the Whites knows how fickle the weather up there is, and how lucky it is to be able to get those extraordinary views. This was a great place for lunch.

The return hike was equally challenging – in fact more so, because the expectation was that it would be easier, which it was not. The challenge of finding ones way was more demanding than on the way up because the weather had deteriorated. At one point it was particularly tough going, especially mentally, and I think I had a sub-conscious anxiety attack (I felt a cramp in my leg), but it recovered quickly thanks to John-N’s support. This became a really good real-life lesson for a leader to pull themselves together quickly to be successful.

Throughout the hikes Mike provided tips and because we were a small group of two, there was great opportunity for extensive discussions and Q&A.